Last Winter
by Fireena
Summary: He continued to hold her, even after her heart had stopped. He was crying into her hair, devastated that this child had died just like that. Why her? Why did she have to die? Why her? One shot, brotherly Jack/Bunny. Sad, rated T for death and mentions of blood, but no violence or swearing


**Hello, hello, hello! Tis me, the insane person who has hundreds and hundreds of favorite stories and rarely comments and updates a story maybe once every blue moon! Yes, hello, thank you, thank you, yes, it's nice to be back.**

**Anywho, I've been busy and with that comes the inability to have twenty minutes to myself to update things or post new stories without parents wanting to know what I'm doing. I don't want that, fanfiction is my guilty pleasure or whatever. Few people I know in real life are aware of this.**

**So. I was in love with Rise Of The Guardians BEFORE I even saw it, and after? WOW! Just, wow. I love it, so much. **

**So what do I do when I have a new addiction to a show or movie? Thats right! I write a fanfiction or thirty. the other twenty nine are still in the works but this one, my saddest one no less, is ready for presentation. I will be honest, I cried while writing this, and I come close to when I ready it. (though I get way into certain characters when reading or writing, so that could just be me)**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy, and if you feel so inclined, drop me a line.**

Jack didn't know how long he had been visiting that little girl. He had known her for a couple months since they defeated Pitch, and for the first couple of years she had had so much fun playing in the snow he brought. Unfortunately because she lived in the northern Yukon, he couldn't give her snow days as it was more or less perpetually snowy, but he still enjoyed trying, and she did too.

He didn't know her name, but neither felt it was important. She was his only believer in that small town, and he always made it snow especially for her. She had been three when they met, and five when she got sick.

It hadn't been much. It started off as nothing more than the beginnings of a cold, which wasn't surprising considering how much time she spent around Jack and in the snow. But then one day as they were building a snowman together in her backyard, she began coughing and wouldn't stop until she collapsed.

That had been a terrifying moment for Jack. He had never seen anyone, much less a child, collapse like that. Luckily her mother had seen and rushed out to pick up her little girl and immediately set out to call a doctor.

Jack was worried, and so flew up to sit on her windowsill. He watched as the girl was put to bed and continued to wait until the doctor came from the closest city, hours away. When he came, he checked the girl over. Even before he made his diagnosis out loud, Jack knew it wouldn't be good.

"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. The sickness has spread too far." The older man said.

"Wait, what sickness?" Jack asked, looking between the two adults, "what's wrong with her?"

"I understand, doctor," the girls mother replied softly, "how much longer?"

"Maybe a couple of weeks, if she stays inside and warm. If not...Only a couple of days." He replied.

"So soon?" The mothers eyes filled with tears.

"Wait, she's...She's not gonna _die_ is she?!" Jack cried, "why?! Not her! She's...She's just a little girl!" He looked at the mother, "how can you be so calm about this?! She's your daughter! Do something!"

"Mommy?"

All three turned to see the sick little girl sitting up, rubbing at her eyes, "yes, sweetie?" Her mother asked.

"Am I sick again?"

"I'm afraid so, sweetheart. You won't be able to play outside anymore."

"But Jack and me didn't get to finish our snowman."

"Jack?" The doctor asked.

"Jack Frost! He's my best friend! He always makes it snow for me, right Jack?" She looked right at Jack, not noticing the tears and anguish on his face.

"Ah, I see." The doctor replied, looking at the spot she was, but looking through Jack, "how do you do, Jack?"

Jack wanted to tell him just how he was, but figured anything he said would just get his young friend in trouble, so he blatantly ignored him.

"Don't be mean, Jack." The girl said, coughing, "he's nice."

"Yeah, real nice." Jack muttered before going to her side. He was used to being thought of this girls imaginary friend, and it didn't really bother him, but when he didn't get the answers he wanted, he hated being invisible.

"Maybe it's time for Jack to leave, sweetie." Her mother suggested, "you need some rest."

"But-"

"She's right." Jack agreed, "I should probably go. But I'll see you tomorrow, and make it snow extra. We may not be able to play in it, but we'll still have fun watching, okay?"

"Okay..." The girl said quietly, clearly upset, "bye, Jack."

"Bye." And with that, Jack left through the open window.

Every day that week Jack visited the sick little girl. She was getting worse and they could both see it was. He hated seeing such a young girl and a strong believer being so sick. She didn't want to play anymore, just watched Jack make pictures on the window. He hated not being able to do anything for her, and wanted her to get better so she could play in the snow again, but knew it wouldn't. The doctor had said so, and she was getting sicker and sicker, even with medicine.

Her mother was so nonchalant about this all, which enraged Jack. Maybe if she cared, the little girl would get better. Why didn't she care? It was a constant question he had. Why wasn't she begging for her daughters life, or asking the doctors to do all they could? Why wasn't the girl in a hospital where they could do more? Jack had seen this for others, usually older people who were truly at the end of their days, so why not this little girl who had so much to live for.

Jack flew in the window one evening to see the girl lying there, determined to keep her eyes open. "Hi Jack." She said weakly.

"Hey," Jack whispered back, sitting on the chair next to her bed, "why aren't you asleep, silly?"

"It's almost my birthday. As soon as that clock says one-two-zero-zero, I'll be six years old. I don't wanna miss it.

Jack looked at the clock. It was eleven forty eight now. The only reason he was here was because he was late, but still wanted to be able to say he saw her that night.

"Mommy says I'm getting sicker. She's sad, Jack." She said quietly, "I feel sicker too."

"Hey, you'll get through this." Jack told her, "and then we'll go outside and play play play, all day long! We'll make snow forts, and snow angels and snow men and throw snowballs and all sorts of fun stuff."

"Can we do it now, Jack?"

"Why don't we wait until you're all better?"

The girl nodded, "Jack! Two minutes!" She coughed and Jack held her up so she could breathe. Blood came up between her lips but Jack quickly wiped it away with his sleeve so she wouldn't panic.

When she stopped her eyes were glazed over. Jack felt a cold stone sinking in his stomach. "I'm glad we met, Jack..." She whispered, "I'm glad we're friends and we had so much fun. And tomorrow, we'll have even more. She started to go limp.

Jack looked to the clock which read 12:00, "happy birthday, kiddo." He whispered, giving her a hug, "and you're right. Tomorrow we'll do all that stuff I said. All that and even more." He felt tears building up in his eyes and he could no longer see anything but the red of her messy hair, "snow forts, snowmen, and sledding and ice skating and even more."

"Can we play forever, Jack?" The girl whispered, getting weaker. Her eyes were closed and she was limp in his arms.

"Forever and ever and a day after that." Jack promised.

He continued to hold her even after her heart had stopped. He was crying into her hair, devastated that this child had died just like that. Why her? Why did she have to die? Why her?

"No one knows the answer to that, Kiddo."

Jack jumped and turned to see Bunny leaning up against the wall, paintbrush in one hand, egg in another. He put them away and walked over to Jack.

Jack hadn't even realized he'd been saying those words aloud. He just lay the girl down in bed and focused on covering her up, "why are you here? It's not Easter."

"Sandy told me you had been spending a lot of time with this ankle-biter, and we just saw her light go out a few minutes ago. I figured you'd be pretty upset." Bunny replied.

"Well you're wrong." Jack snapped, "we knew it was coming. She'd been sick for a while. It's not a surprise!"

"Jack." Bunny walked over and placed a paw on Jacks shaking shoulder, "don't lie to yourself, mate. Even if a kid is sick, it still hurts. Especially if you get close to them."

"Just go away!" Jack cried, hitting his paw away, "just leave me-" he couldn't do it. Couldn't tell him to leave him alone. That's not what he wanted. He didn't want to be left alone. He wanted someone to tell him it was okay. To tell him the little girl would be fine and she was just asleep and they'd go back to playing tomorrow.

"Sh-she was six. Today was her b-birthday. She w-was six. She was only _six_!" Jack sobbed. He saw the blood on his sweater sleeve, her blood.

"I know." Bunny whispered.

"She loved the snow. I made it snow every day for her."

"I know."

"I didn't know how to save her! Whatever it was, I'd have done it!"

"I know, I know." Bunnymund was rubbing the teens back now, trying to give him some comfort as he cried.

"I didn't even find out her name..." Jack whispered, horrified.

"Lucy." Bunny told him, knowing Jack only cared about the first name of his young friend and believer.

"Lucy..." Jack repeated, "why her, Bunny? Why?!" With that last word, the boy turned, latching himself to the fur on Bunnymunds chest. He suppressed a shiver as frost grew over his fur and reciprocated with a hug as well.

"That's a question as old as death itself, Jack. Too many people ask that, yet no one knows the answer."

"It's not fair! She loved the snow! She loved playing outside, and she couldn't even do that! I-I couldn't even keep that one promise!" He began sobbing into the warm fur.

"Hey now, sure ya did. You came everyday to see her, and you were with her right till the very end. And ya know what? You gave her happiness, Jack. Look at her." He turned the boy so he was looking at the little girl who was smiling in her sleep, "that's not the face of a little girl who had a promise broken. That's the face of a girl who's best friend kept the promise he made. She fell asleep thinking about all the fun you two would have, and dreaming about playing in the snow. Those are her last memories, Jack, and you did that for her."

"But...But she's gone." Jack protested, "after all the fun we had, she's still gone. We'll never play together again."

"You will, Jack. She's in a special place now, but you'll see her again one day."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Faith is just another form of hope, Jack. You just gotta believe it's true." Bunnymund replied softly, "now come on, lets get you back to the Pole."

"No. I-I want to stay a little longer. She shouldn't be alone." Jack replied.

"And she won't be, Jack." A soft, feminine voice said, "Jackson Overland, although I hear you go by Jack Frost nowadays."

"Chiwa." Bunny acknowledged.

"Aster." She nodded before turning to Jack, "hello, Jackson. You have done well. You were here for this child when alas, I could not. Now Jack, it is time for you to leave."

"I don't want to leave her." Jack protested.

"Jackson, dear Jackson." The woman in black, Chiwa, stepped closer. Bunny's grip on the boomerang he had drawn shortly after she entered doubled, "you did so well. You saw something no child should ever witness. The death of a child is a horrible thing, but you stood by to help her through it." She smiled softly at him, giving him a light hug, "it's time for you to let go, Jack. It is time for me to take over the watch." When Jack didn't move she smiled again, "she won't be alone, Jack." She whispered, "and neither will you."

Tears filled Jacks eyes and spilled down his cheeks, "you...You promise?"

"Of course, Jack." Chiwa told him, "now go."

Jack nodded, "thank you." He said tearfully before bending down to give the girl a kiss on the forehead, "I'll see you again, Lucy. And I promise, we'll play together again. Forever and ever and a day after that." With one last look at Chiwa, the Lady of Death, he and Bunnymund left to go to the North Pole.

And one day, far in the future when Jack finally did die after bringing billions of children fun and joy and winter for thousands of years, they did meet. He went to sleep, and when he woke up, he saw his mother, his sister, the Guardians, Jamie, and all the other children he had become close friends with over the years.

"You didn't forget about me, did you Jack?" Lucy asked.

"Jack would never forget about any of us." Jamie declared happily, looking nine years old again instead of ninety seven as he was the day he died.

"Of course I didn't forget about you, Lucy." Jack said with a smile, "I promised you we'd play again, didn't I?"

"Forever and ever!" Lucy declared.

"And a day after that!" Chimed in Sophie.

**And there we have it. Last Winter. Little bit of parentally/brotherlyness going on there between Jack and Bunny. (I love parental/brotherly ships with Jack) Not meant to be romantic but obviously if you choose to see it that way, go right on ahead with that. Again, sorry for my absence but I have very little complete and quite honestly, the vocaloid thing, while I intend to finish it off, it is annoying me. Not the story line itself, but just my writing on it.**

**Anyway, if you feel so inclined, please drop a line, and if you know of any other cute fics with Jack Frost, I'm all ears.**

**Peace out, and may the force be with you.**

**EDIT got those pesky backslashes outta there. forgot I had stuff I wanted italicized in this one. Heads up, if you ever see backslashes around a word, or a group of words, let me know because its supposed to be italicised and I can't do that on my phone, so I put in the backslashes. (or forward slashes, I dunno, call 'em what ya want)**


End file.
